The well awaited food systems summit is due to take place in Autumn 2021 and will present more bold actions to transform our food system aiming to build back stronger while leaving no one behind. There are five action tracks to achieve the foods system transformation. Action track 2 looks to shift to more healthy, sustainable food consumption Patterns. Food waste is also a major challenge typical of richer words where food is cheap and many options are available.
To achieve more sustainable consumption patterns consumers need to be aware of where their products come from and of what resources were used to produce products.
An initiative I think would be successful would be a greater labelling system. There has been great success of the “Buying local” and “buying Irish” especially through out the pandemic. The closing of food trading routes has connected food producers with there local community and consumers. Labelling can have incredible influence on consumers and has been put in place for nutritional values. This labelling should now be extended to how food products effect the environment. Information such as water used, land used or Co2 e used to produce food products would contribute to educating as well as influencing consumer choices towards more sustainable food products. Ireland already makes use of a colour system to flag up levels of fats, salt, sugar and saturates in products with red signifying high (1). Carbon footprint does appear on some labels but often to the back where consumers often don’t see until after purchase. Studies have shown the influential effects front of package labelling has on consumers (2).
Irish made foods help local people and livelihoods as well as reducing travel from farm to fork where emissions are concerned. A second element to this will assist consumers to choose products with less of an environmental impact such as oat milk instead of almond or cows milk. simple symbols to the front of packaging showing CO2, water use and land use. For example this product used 1,432 Litres of water to produce.
popular brand Quorn specialising in meat alternatives, is expected to begin the roll out of carbon footprints on their products in June 2021. The fungi alternatives provide great emission reductions compared to beef equivalent. This may kick start other companies into calculating product carbon footprints, and in turn reduce that carbon footprint.
Educational advertisements need to assist the roll out of new food labelling so that consumers understand their meaning and recognise symbols. Consumers often do not associate food production with harming the environment and educational is important (3). This can be done through local radio and television. This education on eco labels will facilitate pro environmental consumer behaviour (4).
Much food waste occurs when products don’t make it to the shop due to being too big, too small or misshapen (5). In a world of hunger this should not be acceptable. This is also not just prominent in developed world. In developing worlds produce is turned away from markets if imperfections are seen. Both over consumption and under consumption causes health issues and a happy medium needs to be met. The production of our food is having severe consequences our environment and pushing ecosystems over the edge.
Education as well as clear labelling systems could assist consumers in making more informed decisions when it comes to consumption. This will assist the aims of action track 2 towards more sustainable consumption.
References:
- Teri E. Emrich et al Traffic light labels could reduce population intakes of calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium.
- Mark W Becker et al 2015 Front of pack labels enhance attention to nutrition information in novel and commercial brands.
- Hannah Hartikainen et al 2014 Finnish consumer perceptions of carbon footprints and carbon labelling of food products.
- Khan Md Raziuddin Taufique et al 2016, The influence of eco-label knowledge and trust on pro-environmental consumer behaviour in an emerging market
- IIona E.deHooge et al 2018 Cosmetic specification in the food waste issue: supply chain considerations and practices concerning suboptimal food products